Akatsuki Mission: Infinity
by 15stepsdown
Summary: In order to create Zetsu, something must be left over. After Yin and Yang, there is a third creation, nothingness. Mugen was created, a being that has no identity, no face, no future. Ignored for much of time, the Akatsuki were created. Now, after so much time, Mugen has come back to challenge Zetsu. To threaten Akatsuki. No-pairings.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A figure crawled upon the flat ground, head held low to the floor. A strained gurgle emitted from it as he tried to advance further, a grey sticky sludge pooling about its body. It struggled to move forward, blank eyes wide in agony as it's body fought to remain whole. It looked forward, finding itself at the mercy of a large twisted plant. In the dim light, it seemed almost like a sculpture, a large blooming flower atop it's thick woody stem. From the lavender coloured plant hung white vessels, each one appearing as a cocoon attached to a long thin string. The plant grew within a cave-like room, darkened ceiling looming over the weakened form.

It made a gasping sound, jaw moving in a silent scream of agony. No other sound followed, with no mouth to emit its voice. Blank grey eyes stared on as a cloaked man approached it. His face wrinkled and old, a huge main of grey hair on it's back. Sunken eyes regarded the newcomer, a strange ringed pattern in a dull red. The old man dragged a scythe blade across the floor, creating a cringe-inducing scree.

The creature looked up at the man, eyes begging for mercy as it could not voice itself. In its pitiful state, that was all it could do as its body began to fail.

"You poor creature. Created for the good of this world only to die upon birth." The old man spoke hoarsely, lowering his gaze.

It gurgled again, the only sound it could make. The grey mannequin-like creature slammed its hand upon the ground, only to have it disperse and pool into a puddle of muck. The creature cried out in surprise. Though it could not feel pain, it still feared the idea of the end, eyes widening as it stilled to keep itself afloat.

"Not even given a name or identity, your existence is likely to be forgotten. Even as you crawl upon the dirt, your being continues to fade, leaving you in agony. You, who has not even experienced the joy of life in this terrible world..." The old man shuffled forward towards the creature.

"I however, shall grant you some time here. After all, we need you to bear the future of this rotting planet."

* * *

 **A/N: As promised, I've found a good foundation for the fanfiction. This story will be much shorter and compact than my other fanfictions. Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Joining Together

**Joining Together**

A harsh blow of wind blanketed the desert in another sheet of sand. The bright sun beating its rays into the travellers that trudged through. Each one wore a greyish beige cloak, faces covered in cloth as to shield themselves from the specks of dust that could hit their eyes. They had had been trekking the terrain for about two days now. If they were running, they would reach their destination much faster in possibly the span of only a single day, but they couldn't afford to do so now.

A man looked up, causing the cloth to flip away from his face, revealing a sand-shinobi headband glinting in the sun. He looked on in curiosity, using an arm to shield his face. Standing for a moment, he opened his mouth to shout, only to have his voice become droned out in the blasting wind.

The cry didn't go unnoticed however, as the rest of he group of five stopped to pay attention to the other. The leader gave his underling a questioning expression. In response, the shinobi pointed into the distance in front of them.

A crude structure broke the outline of the horizon, appearing as a ruined building against the bright blue sky. Something like a tower surrounded by some other smaller buildings came into view, torn and crumbled from the test of time.

The group nodded to each other, speeding up the pace towards their target.

As they pressed on, one ninja paused to squint. Something seemed to move in the space in front of them, growing larger like a mound of sand as it threw more sand out of its way. From what it looked like, something seemed to dig below the earth, heading in their direction. He turned to scream out a warning as he pulled out a kunai, only now noticing that the others had also noticed and were readying themselves.

The group questioned what it was. A giant desert scorpion? Those creatures were known to burrow under the sand and ambush prey, but this thing seemed too small and too fast, zigzagging as it went.

Tension grew as they gripped their weapons, awaiting their encounter.

Suddenly, the bump split into three, two more bumps sliding out from the original. Each one rushed towards them in a straight line, keeping up the exact same speed.

A few meters away, the squad readied themselves from the unknown, only to watch as each mound disappeared, ducking deeper into the desert sand.

A pregnant silence fell, quickly followed by a shriek. The squad turned, realizing that one of them had gone out of sight, a splatter of blood left in their place.

Another shriek, and a few more. The leader and one remaining shinobi jumped away from the ground, hoping to stay within the safety of air for a few moments. Landing onto the sand again, the remaining shinobi watched in horror as her leader was taken down, a blood-curdling cry shot out but was quickly silenced, replaced by the sounds of the desert.

She stood on the spot, trembling as three mounds of sand rose and began to circle her like prey. Her hand shook, kunai making clanging sounds as it shook along with it. Her eyes became wide, tears creeping upon the corners of them.

Finally, a lasting scream rung out, suddenly becoming hollow and silence, replaced by the sound of tearing flesh and bones snapping.

* * *

"!"

His eyes flew open, bright red pupils swirling and fading into their regular black as the Akatsuki member awoke from his mid-day nap. Itachi blinked, gazing down the tree trunk at the puddle-ridden floor, a rain having just finished. Up in a tree, it would be easier to stay dry, especially the thick trunk ones this forest. _It wore off? But how?_

"Itachi!" Kisame called, Samehada rested on his shoulder. "Finally up are you?"

The Uchiha didn't reply for a second, still staring absently into the abyss until his thoughts had gathered, deciding to join the outside world once again by acknowledging his partner's existence with a nod. The shark grinned.

"I...need to get in contact with Leader."

"Hm?" His face fell, swinging his heavy sword onto the puddle with a loud 'thud'. Water exploded from the spot, spreading away from the source. "Something happen?"

"The one I sent to help Sasori's faded out," Itachi said.

Hopping off the branch, the Akatsuki gave his partner a look. Having been with the man for as long as he had, Kisame didn't utter a word while attaching Samehada to his back, the blade rasping slightly in interest at his comrade's chakra. The shark smirked. _He's flustered is he? I wouldn't react too differently though, that jutsu is impossible to break._

"We'll go to the east base. I believe I'll be able to receive answers there." Itachi glanced over to his partner, seemingly contemplating before he continued, "Actually, you can stay if you'd like. I'll go alone and be back by nightfall."

"No, it's okay, I'll tag along." Kisame hoisted the sword onto his back, attaching it to the sash. "If it requires leader's attention, then it's probably important "

Itachi nodded.

* * *

Deidara sat contently, plate in hand as he sat under a tree. Even as the search for Jinchuriki dragged on in the organization, he considered taking breaks as a very important part of the day. Especially with no information to go on, they wouldn't be doing very much anyways.

Luckily, he had found a place that sold Oden just a ways away. It wasn't Deidara's favourite but he'd settle for any kind of meal at this point. As an Akatsuki, he travelled constantly and didn't get to eat very often unless he was sick, injured, or just super hungry. Sasori had dragged them on without sustenance for almost two days now due to the shortcut they had to make through the country. Thirsty and starving, few could believe how giddily happy he got when he could finally eat something civilized, and not the usual cooked mushroom or fish. Half of which, sometimes gave him stomach problems.

Speaking of Sasori, he wasn't exactly present at the moment. Not that Deidara was complaining but...well, having had the puppeteer as his companion for a year now made it a little lonely when he wasn't around. Right now, the redhead had ordered him to stick around the small village while he said he needed to go do something. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to abandon the blond from time to time,

He stared at the sky peacefully, slowly chewing a stick of oden in his mouth. Today seemed like a good day to just take a short flight. Of course, he'd confirm with Sasori first whether or not they were going to be going anywhere before he could put the activity on his list-of-things-to-today.

The Akatsuki...a sensitive topic on his part. When he first joined, he was seething, holding a fierce grudge against Itachi for defeating him. He had sworn that he would defeat Itachi and leave the Akatsuki somehow, but as time went on, that ambition to defect began to fade. Even the constant verbal lashings from Sasori had begun to become less frequent, as he assumed the puppeteer was slowly becoming used to his presence. Regardless, Deidara couldn't lower his guard much anymore. Even with the Akatsuki watching his back, he couldn't be sure anymore of who was an ally or enemy. Sasori should have been his ally, but even the clay artist couldn't really tell, not even when he wanted to think of him as an ally, his instincts warned otherwise.

"Deidara."

 _Speak of the devil._

A gruff voice pulled the blond out of his thoughts, sighing in disappointment to sit up and look over at his partner. As usual, the large body of Hiruko was what he was faced with. Sasori's armour, another reason why his instincts told him to be wary. If Sasori didn't trust his own partner to be safe, then why should he? Sure, he'd seen Sasori's true form plenty of times, but still...

"We have a meeting."

Deidara frowned and discarded the empty stick. With a grunt of annoyance, he laid back, staring up at the sky.

"You go ahead, tell me what happens later, un. I wanna eat and relax."

"Itachi called an urgent meeting. We _have_ to go and _now_."

The blond scowled and crossed his arms while turning his back to his partner. "Great, now I care even less, un."

"You _really_ want to start this?" Sasori growled. A familiar clicking sound emitted from the puppet.

A bead of sweat rolled down the blond's temple, quickly realizing that he was getting on the others nerves. Turning back to the other, he sat cross legged and hoped to calm the situation. "Look, my beef is not with you, it's with Itachi. You know perfectly why, un."

"It's a childish reason not to attend! Your beef may not be with me, but mine will be definitely be with you if you don't get your ass off the ground and start walking!"

Deidara flinched, fear written all over his face before he finally let up and groaned. Arguments between them weren't a strange thing, in fact, they happened more than on occasion. However, he had a feeling that if this one lasted any longer, he may lose a limb or two. Keeping a wary eye on Sasori, the bomber stood up while gripping the last oden stick. "Fine, fine..."

"Hurry up, we're probably already late because of your stupid grudge."

"Yeah! Like you've never had one, un!" Deidara spat.

"Even if I did have a grudge against Itachi like you, it wouldn't stop me from attending a simple meeting. It's not like you two are going head-to-head in combat anyways."

The blond growled, retorting under his breath. Unfortunately, the words hadn't gone unnoticed by his partner. Whirling around to face the younger, he threw an black glare, another clacking sound beginning to emit from the puppet's shell.

" _What was that?_ "

That was it. Deidara had had enough. In all honesty, he expected these situations to come up, but they were inevitable encounters. He was non the wiser to come up with a calmer response, anger boiling within him. Unlike the others –and perhaps not for the better, Deidara feared Sasori less than some of the others did. He could see what the others always thought, always wary of the puppeteer. Having been around him for so long, the blond couldn't afford to stay quiet forever.

" _Wish we were, un!_ What? You think I complimenting you?" He exclaimed.

Dead eyes continued to stare, regarding the bomber for a few moments. Sasori seemed to consider something but chose not to, turning back to the forest silently.

The silent reply had quickly ended their argument, allowing Deidara to stand there. In surprise, he resumed following his partner, anger fading into fear and discomfort. That wasn't the usual way that the puppeteer acted. Their arguments were constant, infamous by now within the organization for the record of endless bickering. Even Hidan and Kakuzu's own record didn't stand up to theirs, usually violent bursts of anger before settling down into a fragile silence. The artists usually had rather lengthy quarrels, their longest according to Kisame had lasted an entire month and two days. It was so obvious and drawn out that even Deidara couldn't deny that they were both pretty involved in angering each other.

Sasori had gone quiet? What did Deidara do, hurt his feelings? The blond refrained himself from snickering, no way, the guy wasn't like that. Sasori couldn't be broken so easily, a good thing for them, but that also meant that he was determined and made their feuds prone to lasting. _Maybe danna just decided to give up. Wait...is that a win for me then?_

Ducking under a tree branch, he glanced up to see a clearing in the midst of the brush. A rocky platform was conveniently placed in the middle, smooth from erosion over time. Tall trees towered over the clearing, creating a leafy ceiling with faint lights leaking from the gaps between them. It was quite nice really, the pure serenity of it all. Maybe Sasori didn't want to ruin the sight with an argument. He did have a thing for old stuff after all.

Sauntering towards the rock, Deidara plopped down next to the other; both getting into position to begin. Forming a seal with his hands, the blond felt a twinge of dread, having to see Itachi again. Over time with these short meetings, he had learned to get along with him a little. His accusations had become dull and sore to the ears. If anything, sewing his mouth shut usually lead to less confrontation with annoyed peers.

The hard surface of the stone was slightly uncomfortable, the first few minutes already making his bottom sore. It's been way too long since he's been back to Iwagakure, so his toleration for the rocky parts of life had begun to soften a little. Deidara began to wonder when this started happening.

"You ready yet?"

Deidara made a slow nod, rolling his eyes. There was no need for Sasori to wait for him, but even then, it didn't take for the blond to learn that he cared quite a bit for his team's reputation. From what he could conclude, punctuality seemed to be a big factor to the puppeteer.

* * *

Static projections fizzed into the cave, creating an encirclement around a small stone shrine. Faces were hidden, only the faint abstract outline of the members indicated their appearances. In a meeting like this, there was no need for identity, only words.

Deidara gazed about the cave, realizing shortly that not everyone had arrived. A huge gap had formed between Konan and Sasori, for which Hidan and Kakuzu were supposed to be. No welcome had come up yet, despite leader's presence, the figure remained silent, eyeing the empty space where the final pair were due to show up.

A loud grumble crackled from beside him, the puppeteer showing obvious frustration with the the Zombie duo's late arrival. The redhead shifted his puppet. "Where are they? And I thought _we_ were late!"

Kisame's silhouette moved. "Perhaps they got caught up somewhere." He paused and laughed. "Or dead."

"They're not dead. Their chakra signatures are still there." Pein said monotonously.

"It's alright." The Uchiha spoke up, "I don't really need them to hear this. I only really need to discuss this with Sasori."

Deidara blinked in surprise, glancing quickly between his own partner and Itachi before blurting out, "Discuss what?".

A laughter emitted from the members, sparking a puzzled look from the blond. It was a low kind of chuckle, though the Akatsuki beside him was far less amused by his outburst. The large puppet seemed to glare at him. The bomber frowned and tried to keep a strong face. "What are you guys laughing at, un?"

A high-pitched voice finally replied, " _You're new, so your audacity is amusing_."

The terrorist looked over to the one he knew as Zetsu, rather easy to distinguish with the man's rather inhuman features. "Okay, so I'm ignorant, un. I've only been here for a year. What I don't get is that Sasori no danna was apparently on a mission and I didn't know about it?"

"I have no obligation to tell you about my solo assignments." Sasori growled. "And if you plan to survive longer than a year and actually make a mark in the Akatsuki, I'd suggest you shut up."

"Me? Shut up? I was only asking a _question_ , un!" Deidara argued.

"Do you have a death wish?" The redhead turned fully towards his partner, malice clear in both of their eyes.

"I've always had one! Just not at the hands of your morbid puppets, un!"

"And your explosions are any less morbid how?"

"Ooh, what kind of death wish?" Kisame enquired, suddenly interested in the quarrel.

Itachi sighed, watching as the two went at it while his own partner continued to attempt gaining details about the kind of end the blond had wished for himself. The other Akatsuki observed quietly, some risking a direct glance at Pein to gauge his reaction.

A few minutes had passed, and yet not even a sign that the Zombie duo would make an appearance any time soon. The bickering had become a sort of background music to them somehow, and even the raven had to admit, he was also beginning to seriously wonder what was holding the duo up from showing. By now, the argument had passed from a question to their usual clashing ideals on art, something that not even Kisame could find any interest in.

Deidara grit his teeth, face scrunched up in anger and frustration. "This is stupid, un! For once I agree with the Uchiha! How about we all just leave and let these two discuss whatever! I never wanted to come anyway..."

The statement was ultimately ignored as it seemed that Pein had reached his breaking point. A massive wave of chakra quickly swept over the entire group from their leader, causing the silhouettes to lose their form for a split second. The ground shook, bits of loose rock plummeted from the ceiling. A silence fell among the ring of ninja, each daring not to speak.

"We _will_ wait and wait _patiently_." Ringed eyes settled on the puppeteer, earning a grunt of disregard.

"It's been quite a while, where are they?" Konan said, a rare moment considering how she was known not to speak often.

"I don't know, but they'd better hurry up."

* * *

A scythe impaled the floor, the sheer momentum of the force causing the cord to whiplash chaotically and strike at the thieves, throwing them into the air. Maniacal laughter followed as Hidan quickly found a gap in the cords, dashing through to grab his scythe. He skid across the floor, confident grin spread as he bounded into the air towards one of the falling bodies, slicing his blade through its torso. Twisting, the Jashinist whirled through the next bunch of robbers, cutting them down as he went, loud laughter emitting in the air. Sun glaring against the blade of his weapon almost blindingly.

Kakuzu sidestepped a large splatter of blood, wrinkling his nose slightly at the sight of it. Making a straight face, the miser continued to spectate, metal suitcase in hand. The yellow grass below was quickly dressed in blood before a few more bodies hit the floor. He snorted, watching his partner stomp his foot on the last thief, wide grin plastered over his face. The man tried to crawl away, only to gasp at the shock of his ribs cracking under Hidan's shoe.

The Akatsuki held his scythe next to the man's cheek, carefully deciding where he would make his first cut. Normally he wasn't picky, but with this chance, he actually got to choose where he'd make his first cut.

The thief calmed, eyes wide in terror as he began to plead, "I-I'm the only one left! I-I know w-what I did was wrong! Please! Don't do it!"

Words like those didn't deter Hidan, who continued to test his blade against the soft flesh of the man's temple. Instead of begging, it sounded more like a pig squealing for its life to him, a meaningless wail.

"I don't want the money anymore! Let me go! I've lost everything, so stealing is the only thing I could do! Please! PLEASE!"

The man gulped, eyeing the point of the scythe hovering over his ear. In consideration, the blade lifted, heaved over the Akatsuki's shoulder as Hidan raised a brow. "Oh it's not about the money anymore. It's never been about the fucking money. Kakuzu's all over that crap, money this, money that, it's an ear sore! Blasphemy!" He levelled the blade at the man's ear once again. "If you're so guilty then I'll send you to repent your sins to Lord Jashin!"

"Quit preaching and kill him. We don't have time for your rituals today." Kakuzu warned.

"Too late Kakuzu! I've already decided...I want this guy for my sacrifice!"

"Your rituals are a waste of time and money!"

"Your damn bounties are a waste of time and effort!"

"Hidan..."

He swung his blade towards his partner, earning a fierce glare in return. The blade glinted in the sunlight, splatters of blood dripping off of the tip. "You shut up. I've devoted my life to the ways of Jashin. As if a lowly heathen could understand the importance of a good kill!"

The miser clenched his fist, eye twitching. This rookie, only a good three months into the Akatsuki was threatening him? Since they met Kakuzu knew that the zealot was going to be a handful, and the pleasant surprise of immortality didn't make things better. Constant preaching, nonsense with every day that passed with his new partner, a pest that would never die. Money may have been materialistic in Hidan's eyes, but they were far more real than the supposed god that judged them. It baffled him to think that any man would devote their life to an imaginary deity than to concern themselves of money, something far more important.

Both stood their ground, exchanging icy looks. The thief continued to wriggle, realizing that his captor was distracted only to hear the sickening crack of his bones when the foot only applied further pressure on his back.

A dark shade engulfed Kakuzu's fist, hardening the surface of his skin. "You want to fight?"

 _Where are you two?_

The pair blinked simultaneously, immediately noticing the harsh tone of voice that rung in their heads.

"What in the _fuck_ do you want?" Hidan groaned exasperatedly.

 _I called a meeting a few minutes ago. Everyone is waiting, hurry up and get here. You've near run out of time._

"Hmm...I remember something like that..." Kakuzu admitted vigilantly.

His partner snapped his sights back on the other, utmost annoyance and anger shown on his expression. "You're telling me there was a meeting and you just _forgot_?"

Instead of arguing, the masked man chose to stay quiet, holding up a hand. "I'll keep it for your ritual, but you better promise to use as little time as possible after the meeting."

Hidan seemed to consider this, frowning before hoisting is sacrifice up with his blade, throwing it in front of him before kicking it in the Akatsuki's direction. The other caught it effortlessly, resting the body over his shoulder.

"Keep him tied so he won't escape."

* * *

Two figures fizzed into the darkness, completing the circle. Kisame grinned, immediately more curious about the Zombie duo than the current bickering that the artists seemed to have pulled out of nowhere. Said artists quickly put their fight to an end, noticing their arrival.

"What held you up?"

Kakuzu grumbled. "I had a run-in with some petty thieves who wanted my bounty. Hidan took care of them, but he took his time."

"I would have taken less time of you fucking remembered to tell me about the damn meeting! Planning Kakuzu! Have you heard of it?" The zealot snapped.

Deidara mentally cringed, chancing a look between himself and his own partner. Both were new to the Akatsuki, joining within a year of each other and as the youngest members yet according to their leader. As far as he could tell, both of them had detested their new companions, and yet the blond was rather glad that their own relationship hadn't gone as downhill as the Zombie duo's had. At least the former Iwa nin had some shred of respect for Sasori.

"Apparently you haven't. When have you ever planned something in advance?"

"WELL-" The argument was interrupted. Pein had sent out another wave of chakra, easily silencing the two and capturing the attention of the other members.

"We've been called here today to hear of some news that Itachi has brought us. As fellow members of the Akatsuki, we will listen. Is everyone clear on this?"


	3. Hidden Senses

**Hidden Senses**

An orderly silence finally settled in the cave, all eyes gazed upon their leader, waiting for him to speak. Keeping a group of criminals quiet was quite a feat, even for one such as Pein, so he decided to waste little time.

"There have been reports and rumours of strange occurrences in the southern area of the Land of Wind. Only recently are these accounts beginning to be taken seriously. They often involve sightings of strange creatures out in the desert as well as reports of people gone missing. In interest, I had Sasori use one of his spies to join an investigation group to the area. For cautionary reasons, I had Itachi assist him with one of his own. I was suspecting that we would find an target of interest, or at least gather more information on the case. However, apparently something had happened to them as Itachi has lost contact with his spy."

He passed his gaze onto the Uchiha, gesturing for his cue to talk. Itachi nodded, turning to the group.

"I used a jutsu that only those with advance control over the Sharingan can maintain. Like Sasori's technique, it allows me to hypnotize and control another person's thoughts and actions without interfering with their personality. This jutsu cannot be broken unless the user or the subject dies. Of course, I can deactivate the jutsu as well."

"Let me guess..." Kakuzu spoke. "The spy died didn't it?"

The raven nodded. "Yes, that's what I assume happened."

Hidan groaned loudly, scratching the back of his head. "You know, maybe someone –I don't know, _killed him_? I don't see the alarm, someone just figured out the jutsu, that's all ain't it?"

" ** _Idiot._** " Zetsu commented. " _They were in an area where these deaths were more than mere disappearances._ ** _It's likely something happened to them._** "

"Now that you mention it, I don't know of my spy's status, let me check." Hiruko fizzed out, causing Deidara blinked and look over, deciding to keep his mouth shut for now.

"Any specifics in the rumours?" Kisame asked.

"Descriptions vary from bug-like to mammalian, but all of them state that the creatures possess one or a few large tails. That's why we're interested." Itachi said.

"So it's a tailed demon then?"

"We don't know that."

Hiruko buzzed back into the cave, quickly putting an end to the conversation. "He's dead. I can't summon his chakra signature and the kanji disappeared."

"So it's settled. Do you have any more spies stationed there, Sasori?" Pein asked.

The puppet nodded however hesitantly. "I have one, but I can't afford to send him on a suicide mission. We need him for the one-tails."

"Itachi?"

"I only used one for the assignment only."

The man sighed, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "Then we'll need to send a team to investigate personally. I'm not willing to give up on this just yet."

"I'll go! Sounds interesting!" Hidan held his hand high, acting childishly to demonstrate his enthusiasm.

"No, I already have a team in mind."

Ringed eyes fell on the artist duo, all other attention quickly focusing on the two following after. Deidara took a moment to wonder what everyone was looking at, only to freak as it suddenly clicked.

"What? No way! We just finished a mission, un!"

Sasori took the quiet as an opportunity to ask. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"It's simple."

* * *

 _"You'll be doing the exact same as what your spy has been doing."_

Hiruko's head tilted upwards above the dunes, a familiar white bird flying over head with his partner standing atop. They were lucky, since a sand storm had apparently just finished sweeping over the area. Had they arrived any earlier, both would have been stuck in a small shelter to wait it out, easily invading each others personal space.

 _"I'd like you to determine the cause of death or at least have some theories as to what killed them. Also, be sure to explore any places of interest, I'm aware that you will be traversing unfamiliar grounds in the south of the Land of Wind."_

"Oi! Sasori no danna! I see something up ahead, un!"

Deidara waved from his bird, other hand pointing towards something just over the dune. Considering how the blond kept switching his gaze between the redhead and the object over the dune, it must have been important.

The puppet scaled the dune, waving his segmented tail as to assure the terrorist that he had heard him. Reaching the peak of the hill, Sasori set his sights on the scene, letting his armour slide down the sand to the other side.

 _"However, don't engage in any huge conflict, it's better if we preserve our members for now. If needed, you may contact me and have Konan assist you."_

It was as if someone had taken a bucket of blood and splattered it all over the sand, then taking a rake to mix it up with the grains. A dismembered hand remained of one of the bodies, fingers disfigured and awkward as if it had just been subject to be a dog's chew toy. Bits of organ law strewn across the scene, some hair remained as well as a hollow torso, it's innards having been torn out somehow. On a nearby tree, the thin trunk hunched over, bowing to the weight of a beige cloak now coated in a flaky dark red.

"I'm guessing the squad bit the dust right here, un?" Deidara jumped off his bird, landing on the ground effortlessly. He made his way over to the torso and kicked it, watching it roll around the floor, sand clinging to the back.

"Probably. At first I thought it might have been a case of the storm getting to them, but this obviously not the result of some wind."

The blond nodded, busying himself with taking pictures of the scene with his eye scope, the silent click barely stirring a thought within Sasori. The puppeteer had created it after all, deciding it would give his partner an edge in battle. It was one of the aspects that the redhead had decided better fit the blond's image, he preferred mechanics over flesh anyways, and it held more of a reason for Deidara to cover it up with his bang of hair.

Glancing around the area while his partner was busy, Sasori gazed over the horizon, spying a structure in the distance. From what he could see, it looked like a ruined building of some kind, it's edges worn down by the forces of nature. Even along his own travels within this land, the puppeteer did not recognize any feature in the land to look like that.

Deidara let his bang fall, finished with the visual inspection. Knelt down by the corpse, the blond hovered his hand over the torso, waiting for a reaction. As expected, his mouths began to furiously respond, mouth lolling about in an uncontrolled manner. They could taste it, the chakra that flowed. It wasn't normal chakra by any means.

Standing up, he took a lasting look at the rib cage. He'd like to conclude that it was definitely tailed demon chakra, but it wasn't at the same time. Something was different about it, something that he wasn't sure was simply just caused by his inexperience with the whole Jinchuriki thing.

The ground seemed to be matted in the blood, now beginning to blacken and stiffen. As described before, the sand seemed to have been raked of it, what looked like claw marks created creases in the ground, accompanied by large sweeping features that could have likely been tail marks.

"We'll be going over there."

Deidara turned to look at Sasori, then following his sight towards the buildings in the distance. Bringing his hand up to the eye scope yet again, he zoomed in, features clearing up to reveal a bricked tower.

"It's just another bunch of ruins, un. We've seen a ton in this country."

"Not those ones. I don't recognize them."

"Hm? I thought you've never been this down south before, un."

"For safety reasons, the village's that scatter the Land of Wind don't stick so close to the border. I've been here before, just not for very long. Besides, I don't think it's much of a coincidence that these ruins were so nearby when the spies disappeared. When I came looking for materials in the past, I felt no need to stay here."

Hiruko swung its head in the blond's direction. "Well, what's it look like?"

"They were definitely killed, though I doubt it was a ninja versus ninja encounter, it's too messy, un. Looks to be like some kind of wild animal attacked them, but that's not all. I had a hunch that something wasn't right so I checked the chakra signature." Deidara narrowed his eyes in confusion. "It's tailed-beast chakra alright, but not the kind I know of. It's too weak to be directly from the real thing, but it's there, un. Should we report back and call it a day?"

Sasori had the puppet shake it's head. "No, we got orders to explore as much as possible without any major conflict. Nothing's holding us back from getting a look so we might as well."

Deidara could have sighed and complained right then and there about being tired, but knew better than that by now. Giving his partner a flat look, he agreed plainly and watched as the redhead steered the puppet towards the ruins, already getting a head start.

Heated rays from the sun beat down on the two Akatsuki, so much so that the younger had decided to put on his hat to give himself a little shade. The clay bird flew behind them on standby, sticking high into the sky as to attract as little attention as possible. It wasn't long before the ruins became clearer in sight, growing larger in the horizon to reveal its bricked texture and crooked ceiling. With the silence that had settled between them, they normally would have started an argument simply to break it, but the previous one had worn out either desire to begin a quarrel.

Deidara slid down a dune, following after Sasori's example to simply let oneself push against the sand loosely so they could practically glide down. The bomber almost laughed at a memory, when both of them had once come here when Deidara wasn't as accustomed to the sand. Whenever crossing dunes, the blond usually fell down or sank into the loose ground, having never been used to traversing deserts as opposed to mountains or forests.

Sasori himself seemed lost in thought, keeping his eyes on the road and yet not the goal since it was only his partner who began to notice something was amiss.

Realizing that footfalls weren't following him, the redhead grumbled and turned back, ready to scold his partner for being lazy. The words never came as the blond looked less tired than vigilant, staring out towards the desert with his scope eye gleaming. Deidara seemed to furrow his eyebrows in thought, continuing to zoom in on the horizon with a puzzled expression.

"What's wrong?"

"You see that?" Deidara shifted his foot back, free hand coming closer to his clay bags underneath his cloak. "Something's coming, over there! Don't you see it, un?"

The urgent tone alarmed Sasori, who had never heard his partner seem so scared and confused. Focusing back onto the horizon, he squinted his eyes, hoping to get a clearer view of the land up ahead.

A single mound of sand, however growing larger at a dangerous rate. It seemed as if something had been boring through the sand, throwing up flurries of it as it continued to 'swim'. Sasori immediately began to run possibilities through his mind, from the regular sand shinobi to the rare giant scorpion that he knew was fiercely territorial. It didn't come out right, mental calculations and proportions would have concluded that this thing was way too small to be a giant scorpion and no self-respecting hidden mole jutsu would make itself so obvious.

"It's almost here, danna!" Deidara called out, quickly stepping back.

Both ninja waited, knowing they couldn't avoid the thing before finally jumping back before it finally reached them.

Hiruko bounded backwards, landing with it's tail hoisted at the ready while Deidara had jumped onto his bird, sticking to the safety of the air.

Their eyes widened upon the sight of the creature, realizing too soon that something was definitely wrong. This was out of place, not a single sign of what it could have been anywhere.

Deidara forced a smile, a drop of sweat trickling down his temple. "Hehe...what the hell is that? Hm?"

* * *

 _(Naruto Shippuden Movie 2 OST 10 - Rage)_

" _Something's nearing._ " White Zetsu spoke to himself, currently sticking out of a tree trunk. At the moment, they were close to the hideout, the original one that had housed Madara Uchiha till his death. The message had popped into his mind, sent by one of the others in the area, the other 'Zetsu' as he sometimes referred to it.

" ** _It's strange._** _It's coming, and fast._ "

White Zetsu turned to face the direction of which the presence was approaching. Immediately, he sunk back into the tree, travelling through the roots of the under ground system to avoid it.

Emerging again from a rocky platform, the white side made a toothy grin of amusement. " _Ho ho...it's still coming._ "

Again, the Akatsuki plunged back into the earth, quickly making distance by a large bear skull and emerging from the floor once again at the foot of the mighty skeleton. Zetsu looked on curiously. " _What is it?_ ** _No way, and after I forgot about it._** "

' _Come over here...don't run away._ '

The thought popped in their heads, Zetsu immediately becoming wary. Only those born of Hashirama's cells could communicate with them in such a way, telepathically. From how it was sent, it seemed like a threat, and one that Zetsu could tell he couldn't ignore.

More messages began to come, warning him of the approaching threat. Some thoughts were blot out upon reaching him, a sign that the vessel that sent it had been killed. Apprehensively, he waited, ready to confirm his suspicions.

' _LET ME SEE YOU'_

A pale grey hand emerged from the ground, barely reaching Zetsu's face before the Akatsuki submerged quickly into the ground, giving chase beneath the surface of the earth. Atop a platform, the plant man jumped out of the ground, forming the organization cloak as he skid across the rocky floor. In suite, another figure jumped from the ground, immediately creating a shocked response from Zetsu.

" _Hey! You are..._ "

* * *

Deidara steered the bird in circles, hoping to get a good and detailed look and their new adversary. This was an encounter like he'd never seen before, and the very thought scared and excited him. Beyond all the boring missions that the pair had received due to the blond's rookie status, this was a wild card.

The beast made a low growl in it's throat, shaking it's dog-like head as it gripped the sand with its claws. A single tail swished about, coated in a bloody red streaked in black. The pattern seemed to move and shift, as if the animal's body was pulsating with chakra. Tufts of fur stood on end on its back, creating a porcupine like spiky appearance. It's round eyes glowed, sharp teeth jagged in form.

It was just like the form a Jinchuriki would take when it came close to its final transformation, the original human vessel quickly stripping away to embody the soul and form of the tailed-beast within. He'd heard stories from the other members, how even physical contact with it would burn as if one had just touched hot metal fresh from the burner.

Zooming in further with his scope, he spied out a strange pattern on the creature's back, a design that seemed familiar somehow, though the blond couldn't pin it. This pattern never came up in the descriptions he got, so the bomber assumed they weren't normal.

The creature's mouth steamed, eyeing Sasori as if he were some kind of delicious prey item. Hiruko's tail stayed poised, ready to attack or defend on a moment's notice.

Rearing it's head into the air, the creature made an ear-tearing howl, causing even the likes of Deidara to quickly back off as a blast of air came his way, nearly blowing him off of his bird. A circle of sand dispersed like a shock wave, even pushing Hiruko backwards a few paces.

Twisting its body, the creature pounced, kicking back a gigantic wave of sand. Sasori reacted quickly, blocking the creature's claw with his tail only to have it fail and break in two. The puppeteer's eyes widened within the puppet, any kind of sound he could have made quickly droned out.

Deidara watched in mild horror as a fountain of sand was thrown into the atmosphere, completely blocking his view of his partner. A sudden feeling of dread swelled within him as he instinctively drew closer, attempting to catch a glimpse of the damage. With speed like that, it wasn't anything Deidara couldn't dodge, but he couldn't say the same for the bulky body of Hiruko, which had been created to take hard hits without much speed in return.

The sand hit the floor, revealing the creature, hand slammed onto what looked like a crushed piece of Hiruko's shell. The blond stared in shock for a moment, until he saw what looked like a black figure a mew meters away. A red tuft of hair quickly calmed him, seeing Sasori standing with two puppets on hand.

In relief the blond backed away, smiling lightly and almost snickering to think that someone who claimed to be as powerful as Sasori had been forced out of his shell armour so quickly. Now, the puppeteer could fight with more speed, and even then, his puppet body wasn't as hard to destroy.

Sasori grit his teeth, immediately becoming rather frustrated that Hiruko had been taken out so easily. Turning to look to the sky, the redhead made a quick mental calculation, deciding that Deidara was too far into the sky to be reached. Good, then that meant that the puppeteer could fight with little to worry about. Leader had told them to avoid conflict, but this couldn't be avoided.

"Damn..." He cursed. Normally, this would be the exciting part of the fight, but his opponent looked less than human. If he were fighting another ninja this might have been more amusing, but the very idea that he had been forced out of his shell by an animal, it was downright shameful.

Moving his arms about, the puppets moved in accordance, quickly splitting off to the left and right, closing in on the creature from two opposite sides. Sasori drew their blades, hoping to get a hit in on the beast.

No luck came. The beast quickly rammed through them, completely dodging the blades with ease. Without another puppet on hand, the beast quickly barrelled the puppeteer down into the sand, making another shrill roar as it did so.

"DANNA!"

Sasori paused, immediately noticing the sound of his partner's call. Looking upwards, he was face to face with the beast's snout, looking him over hungrily. The creature's frame seemed skinny, as if it were starved. Even in this state, the animal's rib cage showed, however strong despite it's lean frame. It regarded Sasori for a moment, then turned it's sights on Deidara, suddenly reminded of his presence.

 _Don't tell me!_ Sasori watched as the beast had quickly forgotten all about the redhead, now focused on another potential meal. If it hadn't recognized Deidara as a separate being, the bird was far larger than him, and the animal could easily mistake it as a far more rewarding meal than the small morsel of a puppeteer.

Bounding off of the redhead, Sasori stumbled to his feet, attempting to gain his footing as he watched the creature jump into the air with it's arms wide only to fail as the bomber easily dodged the attack.

The beast hit the sand, immediately making a frustrated roar. Again, the shock wave hit the blond, blasting his bird out of control for a few split seconds. However, a few split seconds was all the creature needed as it bounded into the air once again, coming close to Deidara with its arm raised. In a swift movement, it cartwheeled in the air, tearing the Iwa nin into the desert ground, creating a massive plume of sand that dwarfed all others.

Sasori could only watch in surprise, frozen on the spot before a scream of agony finally snapped him back to his senses. Whipping out a puppet, he sent it hurdling towards his partner.

Deidara groaned and scowled, rubbing sand out of his eyes to look upwards, unable to react as the shadowed beast plummeted towards him underneath the sun's light, jaws wide open. What would have been his last second was delayed when the beast was rammed harshly aside, a large bulky puppet having sent it flying.

In confusion, the blond tried to get up. This objective was quickly dashed as he felt a searing pain rush up his arm and torso, causing him to shriek and fall, breathing heavily. His eyes teared up as more sand got into them, however unable to rub it away as other arm was unresponsive.

Sasori rushed to his partner, eyes widening at the sight. Deidara's arm had been torn open as well as a bit of his side, the very ribs showing while the forearm looked detached from the rest of it. Bones snapped and seared with slight bits of what looked like smoke coming off of the wound. Deidara had an extremely high threshold of pain, so seeing him squirm and scream like a dying man easily indicated how much he was going through.

Knelt by his partners side, the puppeteer didn't stop to think about his outwards appearance as he quickly supported Deidara's back on his knee, allowing him to breath in a more comfortable position leaned against his shoulder and chest. Deidara's breath hitched, face contorted with pain at the harsh motion.

"Dei..." Sasori mouthed breathlessly, staring for a moment before looking up to see the beast, having tumbled farther than he had thought the puppet was capable of. The beast roared in frustration, slowly but surely getting itself together as it tried to push itself off of the ground.

Turning back to his partner, he mustered a reassuring voice. "We're gonna get out of here, okay? Hold on, I'll get Konan! It's gonna hurt, but it will be over!"

Deidara took a moment to breath, a line of blood trickling down his chin as he grit his teeth together to nod. Sasori could tell that the younger was barely prepared but he didn't care, they had run out of time. If the beast managed to get up, then they would have no hope of escaping.

The puppet raised both arms, letting the palms of its hands snap open as a huge smoke cloud spewed out of them, creating a cloud of massive size that engulfed the two.

Seeing this, he beast whined, quickly bounding from its spot into the dust cloud, tearing about the sand in pure rage. The cloud moved about in accordance, however dispersing around the creature to reveal nothing but a small splatter of blood in the sand.


	4. The First Wound

**The First Wound**

" _Hey! You are..._ "

Before him stood a mannequin-like figure, mainly male in structure, however lacking the particular features that would identify one's own identity. Even as its grey body was pale in colour, its face held no difference, lacking in any particular facial features except for a normal pair of eyes, though they held no pupils.

A familiar gurgling emitted from it, its jaw moving as if it were trying to speak. In unison with these movements, words popped into Zetsu's mind, unwelcome ones at that considering how no one but the other 'Zetsu' could do such a thing. This one seemed unfriendly.

' _I will test myself_ '

In a blur, it disappeared, appearing in front of the Akatsuki with surprising speed. The figure threw his arm at Zetsu, failing at the attack as his opponent easily caught the blow. The white one frowned, looking disdainfully at the other, now face to face.

" _I thought you disappeared._ _ **Showing up again like this? Years afterwards?**_ "

The figure's cheek muscles rose, as if grinning yet with no mouth to show for it. ' _You threw me away, I never disappeared'_

As if on cue, its arm suddenly dispersed into a liquid, spilling over top of Zetsu's cloak and shoulder. The Akatsuki backed away, taking a look at himself before realizing quickly that the sticky substance had begun to move, burning away at the bits of synthetic flesh it could touch. In attempt to escape, the plant man sunk into the ground quickly, shedding the substance off of himself onto the rocky floor.

Emerging from the ground shoulder up only, Zetsu watched as the substance reformed, rising from the floor into the mannequin human. No doubt about it, that was synthetic flesh, though far weaker than the kind that Zetsu was made of. He glanced down at his wrist, darkened flesh burning with smoke casting into the wind, a crackling and sizzling noise emitted. He rested his gaze back on the other.

' _I will surpass you, however weak I am_ '

The white one smirked. " _Really? Last I saw you, you were crawling on the floor like a baby._ _ **We saw you to have no use anymore.**_ _Didn't Madara kill you?_ "

Zetsu spoke nonchalantly, easily sparking an anger within the other. The white one grinned, amused to see this expression of what would and should be a face incapable of expression. Creases at the bottom of the figure's cheeks indicated a frown or scowl.

" _Accept it, we no longer need boundaries._ _ **Upon further development,**_ _an individual gains identity and a greater sense of self_ _ **awareness, this leads to growth and eventually breaking the boundaries. We've matured, the placenta has been removed years ago**_ _. You're just a rotting piece of what we used to be._ _ **An organ of afterbirth.**_ "

The mannequins face twisted further. ' _Boundary? I am not a boundary. I am infinity. Mugen.'_

" _ **Mugen?**_ _What's that? You've made a name for yourself?_ " Zetsu cackled.

' _I am Mugen. I am not that which shall restrict, but I will be beyond growth. Endless, infinite, boundless. However, a name is not enough! I need more than that! I need a face, and to do that, I need to kill you'_

Zetsu grinned. " _Isn't a child with no mother supposed to stay_ _ **nameless?**_ _With no name and no face,_ _ **you have no place here.**_ "

* * *

Papers lifted into the air, gently placing itself on the wound with care. Following it, more papers stuck to the wound, blank white becoming stained in a damp red, indicating that it had begun to stop the bleeding. In obvious response, Deidara irked at the feeling, wincing slightly. His torn and broken arm was cast behind his back, covered over in a thick covering of papers that held his bones and flesh together. Now, his hip had to be dealt with somehow, or he'd die from blood loss.

Konan worked carefully, a stack of papers falling from her cheek. She occasionally glanced upwards, looking towards Deidara's partner who sat in the corner of the space, staring intently at the wounds. His gaze seemed thoughtless, not focused on the wounds themselves as he was simply lost in a daze.

There was a silence in the cavern, broken only by the occasional pained grunts and whines that the blond would make. Nothing else could be seen at the entrance but the vast desert, empty of life.

This silence had begun to grow weary, as Konan found herself unable to bear seeing the look on Sasori's face. It was unusual, so unlike his usual face. He almost seemed sullen, guilty to see such injuries inflicted upon his partner, who just so happened to get caught in the crossfire of the puppeteer's encounter. Uncharacteristic of the normally cool and quiet Akatsuki member, who cared for non other than himself.

"He's lost a lot of blood...and his arm will cost expensive surgery to even attempt to fix."

Sasori's had lowered, gazing down at the floor. Deidara barely noticed, more concerned with himself. Considering the severity of the wounds, it didn't look like he was going to be using this arm ever again. As an artist, the blond definitely wouldn't want that. Deidara's head whipped around to stare agape at Konan, shock imminent in his eyes to hear it.

"However, we'll manage. We can try the surgery once before having Deidara's arm amputated and replaced."

This caused no reaction in Sasori, who simply seemed to be daydreaming. In contrast to him, the younger Akatsuki was quick to react, immediate dread coming over his face. His eyes moved down to his arm, head following the motion.

"No way...am I...gonna lose my arm?" Deidara spoke inwardly.

Konan noticed the lack of the bomber's trademark 'un'. Very rarely did the clay artist leave the sound out of his speech, and yet at the very idea that he would lose the very tools he needed to create his art, he would be an artist no more.

She finally decided to speak with him. "It shouldn't be a problem. You can simply perform the kinjutsu all over again to get your mouth back right?"

"Uh...yeah but..." Deidara gazed down, voice coming down to the tone of a child. By now, the woman could sense and easily guess the bomber's source of dread.

"We'll put you to sleep before the procedure of course, be it the amputation process or simply putting your arm back together."

"What are the chances that the first procedure will be successful?"

Both looked towards Sasori, who continued to put up a steely expression. He wouldn't waver or avert his gaze, at least he had that left.

"Danna?" The blond raised a brow.

Konan looked back to the wound, finishing off the final layer of the cast. Her expression mirrored that of the puppeteer's, pausing briefly after the last sheet had placed itself.

"Well..."

* * *

"They were attacked as well..."

Itachi suppressed the urge to comment. Surprised, amused and frustrated expressions seemed to pass over the static silhouettes at the news. He gazed past the tiny shrine, into the dark and empty gap between Kakuzu and Zetsu, large enough for two to fill in, and yet it would stay empty for the rest of the meeting.

News of the mission's outcome had come as a surprise to the organization, since every member had always managed to successfully execute their assignment one way or another, even if it meant to sacrifice half of the team in cold blood. Of all the members to potentially attempt to preserve their partner's life in any major way, Sasori would never have come to mind. Deidara's injury had left him in the intensive care unit of the Amegakure medical wing. Members rarely stayed in Amegakure, since they either didn't need it or simply didn't want to shame their image. Regardless, it was acceptable to request to stay at Amegakure for certain reasons, but Sasori? He never stayed in the village for longer than a day or two.

"Deidara was still clearly capable of speech, so he was able to provide us with a good description of the creature. In general, it appeared to be a transformation stage of a Jinchuriki."

"A Jinchuriki? Which one?" Kisame enquired.

Pein ignored the question. "There's more. During the assignment, the two had apparently stumbled upon the crime scene. There wasn't enough physical evidence to suggest that an entire squad had been massacred, but inspection of one of the dismembered corpses had yielded a definite demon chakra signature. It wasn't long after that the two headed towards a ruins of some kind before being attacked. In the end, we know it had one tail, but neither could conclude that they knew which one it was. Sasori claimed that the one-tails looks different from all other jinchuriki during transformation."

Hidan laughed. "Ha! The more I think about it, the more it sounds like the guy just decided to use the kid as a meat shield!"

"If he did that, wouldn't Sasori be here?" Kakuzu retorted.

"...Eh?" The Jashinist blinked, not quite understanding his partner's point.

The miser groaned exasperatedly, deciding that it wasn't worth explaining to his rather dim-witted companion. If Sasori really had done such a thing, than he would have definitely gone about things as usual within the Akatsuki and attended the meeting. Even his own puppets didn't seem to compare to the importance of punctuality, of which he often mentioned grudgingly holding off projects because a meeting was called. Considering how Sasori had apparently opted to stay with Deidara at the intensive care unit, Kakuzu would rather not think of any mushy reasons why.

Itachi lowered his gaze, then looking over to the leader to ask, "Did Sasori give any reasons as to why he would be staying there?"

"We've agreed to keep that confidential." Konan replied. "Regardless, there's an interest in the ruins that they had supposedly seen. The monsters came from that direction in a particularly close vicinity, so we will with time send another team."

"That's suicide isn't it?" Kisame asked, Itachi agreeing with a nod. "Sasori's one of our oldest members not to mention originating from that very country, how could we beat that?"

Pein chose to answer. "Remember that it was Deidara who suffered the injury, Sasori came off with just a broken puppet. Deidara is new, so we cannot expect the same of him as with other more experienced members. I won't send for him again."

" _So when is the next team gonna be sent? By now,_ _ **I'm sure Sunagakure would have noticed one of their squad's had gone missin**_ _g._ " Zetsu pointed out.

"They'll likely avoid sending another investigation group. The next team will be chosen within the next month, for now, we'll have a resting period for this assignment. Dismissed."

* * *

"Woah...that looks pretty bad..." Tobi cringed, pulling up the cloth currently covering the blond's arm and side.

Deidara turned his head on the pillow a morbid curiosity. He hadn't been given the chance to see it yet in the state it was left after Konan had attempted to gather it up with her paper. If it had the idiot talking like that, it must have been something. "Does it, un?"

The masked man tilted his head, finally letting the cloth fall as he stood up by the wooden chair. The room was overall empty, stone walls lined with some pipes that looked significantly cleaner than the ones that littered Amegakure ran along the corners and edges of the ceiling. By the white bed was an IV stand, attached to the terrorists intact limb.

Putting a hand on his hip, Tobi scratched his head. "Look, I don't know a lot about the capabilities of medical ninjutsu but...it doesn't look like something anything can fix. Sorry to break the truth to ya, but it looks like you'll probably get that arm amputated."

Deidara smirked, laughing at the statement heartily. The laughter died as he stared at the ceiling, eyes lidded in a sickening expression. "Heh...I was afraid of that."

"... _un_?" Tobi teased, earning a spiteful look from the blond.

The door creaked open, revealing a familiar redhead standing out in the hallway. He paused, staring at the two before looking to the floor, muttering an apology before closing the door, leaving the two in silence.

"That was...Sasori wasn't it?" Tobi turned back to the bed-ridden patient.

"Yeah, he's been acting weird, un."

"You know, if I didn't know Sasori better, than I would have said he was worried about you. Doesn't that sound right?" The masked man proposed.

Deidara scoffed. "Not really. Then again though I'm not really concerned with him." His visible eye lowered to his torn arm. "I just want to recover and get things back to normal."

"...And?"

The clay artist rolled his eyes. "Un."

* * *

Sasori lowered his gaze from the door, standing in the silence of the hallway. He had heard the two talk, the door couldn't block everything out.

He stared at the floor, refusing to move from his spot. He had originally planned to come and apologize to his partner about the incident. The redhead knew perfectly well, it wasn't really his fault of course since neither could do anything to avoid the creature. Chakra strings didn't effect Tailed beasts as well as it did on normal organisms. Sasori couldn't have done anything to stop the attack, and yet, he felt ashamed knowing that as the usual lead of his team, he had failed Deidara somehow.

Hiruko was still in a state of disrepair, and Tobi was currently whiling away the time in the room. Sasori waited by the wall, hoping that nobody would notice him standing there. The medical wing was basically the hospital of Amegakure, though they had reserved a special area for patients who had direct relations to their god.

" _ **There you are.**_ "

Zetsu stepped out of the wall, smirking at the very sight of the other Akatsuki. Sasori's head didn't budge, no sign of acknowledgement showing. In attempt to start some conversation, the plant man turned to the door. " _Is that Deidara's room_?"

Sasori nodded.

" _Well? Aren't you going to go in there or something?_ "

Brown eyes regarded him. The puppeteer turned back to the door and confessed. "I was going to apologize."

" _ **Apologize?**_ _For what_?" Zetsu chuckled.

The door swung open to Sasori's surprise. Tobi walked out, pausing at the door to look at both of the Akatsuki members. He waved a hand.

"Oh! You're still there! Me and Deidara were talking about you, kinda." The masked man stood by the door, holding it wide open for the puppeteer, earning a puzzled look from the redhead. "Go on! Didn't you say you wanted to apologize for something?"

 _What the?_ Sasori blinked, shooting a vigilant glare at the subordinate. "How did you know?"

"Haha, well, I could still hear you. If I couldn't know I wouldn't be a ninja now would I?"

The puppet master still refused to move. Mildly frustrated, Tobi sighed and immediately ushered the reluctant redhead inside despite multiple complaints and threats. By the time Sasori was finally in the room, Tobi had been covered in cuts and bruises, even his mask was cracked. The subordinate hid behind the door, shrinking under the puppeteer's glare.

"I-I'll leave you two alone now!"

 _SLAM_

Sasori seethed, glare burning a hole through the door. A silence settled, only the sound of IV dripping liquid could be heard.

"You wanted to say something to me, un?"

All anger faded, turning into anxiousness. The puppeteer turned to face the blond, still slightly shocked to see the clay artist. Deidara's body was laid out on the bed underneath a white blanket. A light blue cloth covered over his partner's left side and arm, bumps underneath the fabric indicated that it was mess, though arranged in such a way that it somewhat resembled a limb.

Deidara seemed to glower at him, slightly suspicious of what the puppeteer was so hesitant to talk about. Few things passed between the two after all. In his position, he couldn't see his partner very well, only able to see the very top hairs on head. It wasn't like he couldn't move, but he was instructed to strictly remain in one position. If he moved, his arm would get more messed up than it was already.

"I..." Sasori said, pausing in right after. He seemed to weigh his words before deciding to speak. "I wanted to apologize about what happened."

* * *

 _SLAM_

"Eek..." Tobi whined, crouching by the door.

Zetsu looked down. " _A good boy closes the door to give people privacy._ "

The masked man sprang up, holding a hand at his hip as he gave a salute to the Akatsuki. "And a good boy I am!"

The hallway light turned off, signalling that visiting hours were ending soon. Tobi relaxed his pose, joining his lacky down the hall. There was no need to hurry, visiting hours only applied to those who were not directly involved with the Akatsuki. As it was, anyone who was part of or worked under the organization could theoretically remain at the wing as long as they wanted and come at any time.

Tobi stuck to the right of the hall, letting nurses and doctors pass. At the sight of his companion, they bowed in respect before continuing on their way.

The masked man pulled out an umbrella, shielding himself from the rain. Metallic towers dwarfed him, reaching out towards the dark and cloudy sky. The streets were filled as usual, since this area was a residence of some kind to the people here.

"So, who is this _Mugen_ again?" Tobi's voice lowered into a more deep tone.

" _ **You wouldn't know it.**_ _It left long before you were taken in with us._ " Zetsu sunk into the floor, letting only the shoulders and up be visible. " _In order for our kind to be created, we needed it as a vessel for the very start of our evolution._ _ **Once we could stand on our two feet**_ _our empty shells gathered and created its being. It_ _ **was never supposed to have a conscience**_."

He stepped in a puddle, resulting in a slightly wetter shoe than he'd prefer. He held the umbrella over his head to hide his masked face. The citizens of the village didn't give him a second glance, unable to recognize his importance.

"How powerful is it?"

" _ **Weak**_ _. When it came to challenge us, he could only afford to keep his physical form when no pressure was applied to its body._ _ **But it can burn synthetic flesh like acid.**_ "

Tobi brought his own gloved hand up to view, flexing it. "Would you say it's something the Akatsuki has to fear?"

" _That depends._ _ **We have no idea how much it has grown since. It's possible that it could be a threat.**_ _He could mess with our communication system. Not to mention we don't know what abilities it ultimately inherits from our kind._ "

"Who was Mugen? As in, what was Mugen like?"

" _ **It used to crawl on the ground because it couldn't keep its body whole. It's simply a mass of whatever was left over from each of the beginning vessels.**_ _Mugen could not speak, and does not appear that he can now. Madara kept him around for a short time. We planned to dispose of him but he disappeared._ "

A slug slunk across the floor, forcibly destroyed as the masked-man's foot squished it into the concrete. It's organs strewn into the puddle, a mass of bubbles gathering around the corpse.

" _He told us something strange after we nearly defeated him._ _ **Some blabber about gaining a face.**_ _I'm thinking it may imply that he's inherited the ability to copy chakra signatures, the best transformation technique._ "

The arrived at a tall tower that dwarfed all other others with a large statue built into the higher floors. The statue watched over the village, rusty pipes worked their way throughout the entire building. Tobi entered the building beneath an overhanging ceiling, shadows engulfing him as he went. He collapsed the umbrella and placed it in a basket nearby.

"I'll see what I can do. However, first we must deal with the killer of those spies. Mugen can come later. If he is weakened, we can count on him taking up some time to recover without interfering with my plans."

* * *

Sasori pulled up a wooden chair to the hospital bed, avoiding the others gaze. Deidara rested is head on the pillow, taking a moment to breath. The puppeteer awaited his response, sitting slouched in his seat.

"So that's it, un." Deidara breathed, staring up at the ceiling with a glazed over eye. "You wanted to apologize huh? I guess Tobi was right on the money with you, you're acting real strange danna, un."

The puppeteer didn't move, face nearly unreadable. "You were up in the sky, there was no reason that you had to get hurt...not at that distance."

The blond scoffed at the statement, opting to avoid any kind of intimacies. "I was the one who called out. That thing may have not been supposed to get me but it did, so it only means that my injuries were my own fault, un." His eye moved from the ceiling to the redhead, who had remained still as a statue. "Of course, I normally wouldn't mind the blame being on someone else, so I guess it could be your fault if we're gonna get cheesy."

Deidara waited eagerly for the redhead's next sentence. The room fell into silence, a low hum in the background of machines at work blotted out some of the other sounds in the hall. By then, it became clear the blond that his partner had nothing to say, and that didn't sit well with him. Deidara snorted and whipped his head away from Sasori, scowling. "I don't get what's with you. I'm a rookie here, and I've heard you killed quite a few previous partners, though it's arguable considering Kakuzu's record, un. You're acting all quiet and guilty, it's disgusting, that's not the partner that had that ridiculous morbid art, un!"

His eyes softened, slight anger still imminent. "The partner I knew was nothing like that."

Sasori opened his mouth to reply but no words escaped, something held him back. Deidara continued to stare at the opposite wall, waiting patiently for a response. The squeak of a chair pulled his head back to his partner, who stood up and promptly turned to make his way to the door.

"Oi! Hey! Where are you going, un?" The blonde barked.

Sasori paused, shoulders slightly slouched. A few seconds passed before he finally placed his hand on the doorknob. "Visiting hours are over."

 _Click_

The patient remained speechless, having just watched the once fearless puppet master back down and let himself out. A silent hum filled the empty room once again, accompanied by the drip-drop of the IV. Deidara frowned.

"Visiting hours ended a while ago...un."

* * *

 _Deidara's currently out of commission so that currently leaves one person left._ Itachi sauntered around a corner, occasionally looking over the rusty pipes that lined the corridors. There must have been a pretty big leak here, since a wrapping was applied to the middle of the tube.

He had only just arrived to Amegakure along with Kisame. On orders, they were to come here and speak directly with the higher-ups. The idea seemed pointless, the trip here was by no means easy due to the many storms and the boggy land of this nation. If anything, they could have simply called a private meeting between leader and them alone, but alas, they were here.

Apparently, the reason why was due to Itachi's next mission. Kisame was simply a tag-along. Orders were as stated: Itachi would venture back into the Land of Wind to pick up where Deidara and Sasori had left off. Of course, it was obvious that it would be a bad choice to repeat the scenario, there would be a better chance at success if one of them had actual experience. Now that Sasori knew of this new threat, Pein had suggested that Itachi go and try to convince Sasori to be a temporary partner for the mission. Though the thought that their Leader could not have simply had the other meet him at his arrival to the village had crossed his mind, he questioned why he needed to do the extra leg-work.

The first place to look was obviously his workshop, which had always been relatively quiet. Itachi had never stayed at the tower for long, so the puppeteer's regular activities were a definite mystery. The very fact itself made it even more difficult to locate him. By then, Sasori had apparently gone out for the day, made evident by a note on his door claiming that he was not in the room. That very same note had also stated that the puppeteer did not wish to be bothered either, but orders were orders, and as it seemed, Sasori's day would have be interrupted.

A casual walk down the drenched street made Itachi question what kind of day the Akatsuki member was having, standing out near the Amegakure hospital. The cloak was damp all over. With the previous rain a few hours ago, one could guess that the puppeteer had been here for a while, staring at the double doors.

"Sasori."

...

Itachi blinked and cautiously made his way closer, eyeing the puppet. It was common knowledge among the regular members that Hiruko was simply a shell. As far as the Uchiha knew, no one but Deidara, Tobi, Pein, Konan, Orochimaru, and presumably Zetsu knew what he truly looked like. Even then, Deidara never spoke of his true form, though definitely claiming to have seen it more than once. It was times like these that Itachi sometimes wondered about who sat cozy inside that puppet.

"Sasori." He raised his voice slightly.

Hiruko visibly jolted for a second, then slowly swung its head in Itachi's direction. The Uchiha stood under his umbrella, shielding himself from the light drizzle.

"I went to your room and you weren't there, so I came to find you." Itachi explained briefly.

An odd silence came over the puppet, who then turned back to staring at the hospital doors. No one seemed to notice the two Akatsuki there, going about their day as if it were any other. Normally, due to their relations to their leader, the members would receive curt bows and respect from the citizens, but if Sasori had been a regular at the area, some of that respect would turn into normal courtesy. Hiruko remained silent, then grumbled, "There was a note, did you read it?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes, I did. Though, I had to find you on orders of Leader. We're supposed to-"

"No."

The raven blinked.

Sasori caught on the puzzled look and continued without making eye-contact. "No need to waste your breath, my answer is no. I know about the mission, I'm not going. Leader's already tried to convince me."

 _Did he threaten you?_ The Uchiha was at a loss for words, having planned what he was going to say to the puppeteer in advance as he walked about Amegakure and now it was all without result. Now what? What would he tell leader? Itachi stood for a moment, then gazed around the block. "Why won't you go?"

No voice emitted from the shell of a puppet, the seconds drawn on in silence long enough to stand as an answer. Itachi made a small sigh. "How long...have you been here?"

"...Four hours."

"Just standing here?"

Hiruko nodded.

Itachi pressed his lips together into a thin line. "What about-"

"I wrote that I did not want to be bothered and that's exactly what I want. Go away, or I'll make you." Sasori's tone grew harsh, a clinking sound emitted from his puppet. "Tell leader that there's absolutely no way I'm going on that mission before Deidara's recovered. He won't blame you."


	5. Attack!

**Chapter 4**

 **Attack!**

A full four days had passed since Itachi attempted to recruit Sasori onto the mission and each time, the result had always been a failure. No one truly understood why the puppeteer had become so withdrawn over such a petty loss. No matter what they did, even when Pein broke his own rule to respect each member by threatening the redhead with his life did the former Sand ninja do nothing.

By now, Itachi had the feeling it was because of shame. The mission was no failure of course, they had successfully executed it and determined the cause of death, but he began to wonder about whether or not it was the shame of either failing to take on the danger posed to them, or the fact that he failed to successfully direct Deidara in his time of need. Itachi knew of the pain a leader felt for performing unsuccessfully, be it even if he did not care for his group. Failure was unacceptable, reprehensible by the standing rule of every shinobi to ever serve the ninja lands. Failure was weakness, humiliation, disdain, even death at times. Of all the years that Sasori had been known as the 'Red Sand', not once did Itachi remember a single mission to be failed under his name. No Akatsuki had ever failed a mission.

Itachi mulled over the thought as the meeting progressed. Pein stood within the familiar dark cave as a hologram and continued to explain their currently most troubling case, Zetsu's disappearance. Apparently, his absence began just a couple of days after Itachi had first attempted to persuade Sasori into joining the mission. The news was a shock to the Akatsuki and understandably, had begun to spark some concern within the organization for their own safety. If someone so elusive as Zetsu had gone missing, what would stop the same from happening to the others? Then again, it was the very fact that Zetsu was elusive that made his disappearance even smaller of a concern for Pein. He had only been gone for two days, and Pein reassured the others that as long as they stayed vigilant, the plant man was likely to pop up again after a while.

"-Anyways, it is still important that Itachi embark on this mission. Deidara, as you all know, will not be able to attend and I am hoping one of you will be gracious enough to inform him of the information given today." Ringed eyes wandered then settled on a familiar bulky figure across the room. "So Sasori, have you changed your mind?"

...

No reply came from the puppeteer, the silence dragging on long enough before Pein tilted his chin upwards and narrowed his eyes in slight irritation. "Fine, be that way."

"Partners must always attend missions together. If my partner isn't able to go, then the cell can't function. It's simple as that." Sasori grumbled flatly.

"Itachi will replace Deidara for this mission. I can guarantee you, he is just as competent as Deidara is, perhaps even more so."

Itachi recoiled slightly at the mention. Sasori did nothing more than glare through his puppet's eyes before buzzing out to leave a void space between Konan and Kisame. He didn't want to think that the puppeteer had glared at him, but the thought still entered his mind nonetheless. Konan let out a quiet sigh and it barely took a minute before Hidan had decided to open his mouth.

"Some Akatsuki he is!" Hidan barked and stomped the floor while the cord on his scythe rattled. "Oi, Pein! Let me take his place! I'll give that monster a good beating on the behalf of Jashin!"

Kakuzu opened a single eye. "For once I agree. I'm sick and tired of hearing the same thing every meeting, he just leaves early now anyways. Even if Sasori did let up, he'd probably sign off early mid-battle."

"No. I don't care how immortal you are Hidan, you won't be much use to us if you're torn to shreds on the field." Their leader quickly silenced the zealot and moved on to address Itachi. "Any luck?"

The Uchiha lowered his gaze and shook his head. Barely any progress had been made since these four days had begun, in fact, it seemed as if Sasori had begun to shut out everyone, going to remote places to avoid people and looking for the easiest and earliest opportunity to leave a gathering. Sasori would quickly repel any who came by his workshop aggressively and even began to imitate Hidan a bit by demonstrating some spite for Pein. Sasori would probably be dead if he also copied Hidan by using their leader's name instead of title. The only thing keeping the Jashinist from complete utter decapitation would have been his immortality.

Pein didn't react angrily but instead used a dismissive tone. "Hopefully this will end soon. Deidara will be out of the medical wing by the end of today."

"Oh? Then why can't he accompany Itachi instead?" Kisame asked.

The raven frowned and gazed over at his own partner. "There...would be complications."

"Oh yeah. He's still not over _that_." Kisame sighed.

Kakuzu felt a sting of irritation at the reminder. The blond was so childish as to keep a grudge like that, immaturity at its best though it was arguable when compared to Hidan. Immaturity was the most annoying thing in his opinion, disruptive and unproductive. Even with that thought, something else bothered him. Kakuzu turned to address Pein.

"Hold on. Why are we still trying to bust a rumour in some place in the middle of nowhere when Zetsu is just as useful as Deidara is right now? Sure, he may turn up after a while but I seriously doubt it."

"It's not as if nothing is being done about Zetsu's case, I'm working on it. I'm just letting you all know that you shouldn't concern yourselves with looking. Just keep wary, dismissed."

All but Hidan and Itachi fizzed out with not much less than a subtle nod. The zealot grumbled in his throat but kept his words unintelligible before his spot was cleared. Itachi remained inside the cave along with Pein, a lonelier place without the other members. Pein also seemed to be readying to leave, no longer focused and seemed to barely notice that one member had not yet dismissed himself. For a long minute, Itachi observed their leader look gaze around and mumble to himself busily, as if mulling over a task yet to be complete. Soon enough, ringed eyes laid upon him and the Akatsuki boss blinked. "Are you going to be leaving Itachi?"

Itachi shook his head. "I would like to know your opinion. Even if Deidara is fixed by today, it's not as if he'll be fighting fit will he?"

"Of course not. Deidara will likely undergo a recovery period for a few weeks at most. Then, I will allow him to head out with Sasori again if the rehabilitation is successful."

The raven tilted his head slightly. "And if the surgery is a failure and he cannot perform to the same standard?"

"Then we'll replace him with someone else, like always." Pein paused, then continued. "Will that be all?"

Itachi remained silent and bit the inside of his lower lip while nodding. No matter how different each member had been, moving and replacing members like chess pieces were usually how Pein referred to them. Of course, if a member actually left a mark in the organization, they were respected with a higher status by their leader and other members. Sasori had been one of those members, a long-living one who had remained with the Akatsuki for god knows how long since Itachi arrived. Ever since he had though, the Uchiha had treated his fellow member with nothing but the usual courtesy and keeping in tune whenever the puppeteer chose to speak.

He had concerns with the idea of throwing away Deidara like a used paper. Maybe if he hadn't seen the huge effect of the mission's outcome on Sasori, he would have come to the same conclusion. Pein was missing something important. With the attitude the sand ninja was holding, getting rid of their first experienced terrorist would not only weaken the Akatsuki dramatically, but might even awaken an even deeper hateful, violent side of Sasori that could be unpredictable and impossible to control. Itachi really had little to say about why Sasori was so withdrawn right now, but he had a solid hunch that executing Deidara would do nothing else but throw fuel onto the fire. Whatever part of the equation was the problem, the Uchiha knew for a fact that erasing the blond was not it.

The hologram faded and left the cave to its stagnation. Pein waited for a while just in case anyone popped up with a last minute enquiry, something he always managed to find the time for. After his very first meeting with the new Akatsuki, it had become clear that he needed to forge better leadership skills. No matter who he was leading, it would do no one good if he did not answer every question on the member's minds. It had been over fifty meetings since the first one in a cave in the Land of Fire, and less and less of his underlings had returned with things to ask. If Pein was a happier man, he would have patted himself himself on the shoulder with a satisfied smirk to congratulate himself for improving this far. Confusion on missions had lessened considerably, so progress was a on a roll.

* * *

 _There's the hospital again_. Itachi folded the umbrella as he stared at the clouded over sky. He lowered his gaze back to the street and scanned over the medical wing's front. He'd come here often, not always to speak to Sasori but to keep track of his schedule. Not every day was the same but there was a distinct pattern in his routine. Even if he hadn't gotten the puppeteer to agree yet, Itachi was attempting to adjust to that schedule and figure out when was the best time to talk. One thing he did was come to the hospital daily without fail. After the constant meetings, it seemed that the sand ninja had gotten used to Itachi's presence, progress.

A spot near the entrance remained empty. Itachi had come expecting to see Sasori standing there again, waiting in contemplation for the hours to pass. Today, he was alone at the front, the only Akatsuki present for the villager's to bow to. Itachi approached the building and gazed around warily, spying for the puppeteer. He stepped up to the top of the stairs and dragged his shoes along the rug to dry them, tossing his umbrella into the bucket by the entrance. He allowed some people to leave first before slipping his way into the lobby. Immediately, medical staff welcomed him with bows but he paid them no mind, more interested in finding the withdrawn member.

"Itachi."

Konan approached from the hall as the other people made way for her. The other Akatsuki nodded as she continued.

"Are you looking for Sasori?"

"Yes. I thought he'd be outside." Itachi gestured towards the door.

"Deidara's currently attempting to get his arm fixed. Sasori came in to wait for him." Konan shook her head solemnly. "I've never seen him this way before. It's shocking."

"Neither have I." Itachi admitted. "Can I wait too?"

"I'll tell Sasori first. Don't worry, I'll make sure he doesn't escape. I'll tell you to come." Konan turned on her heel and returned back the way she came.

The period between her leaving and her return took an entire twenty minutes. Between, Itachi was forced to stand awkwardly, dodging medical carts and staff as well as keeping away from a crying man whom he assumed just lost someone. Compared to the hospitals he knew in Konoha, this one was widely different. People weren't provided much comfort here at the loss of a loved one, and the best medical care was only given to those who either had the money or stood closely with Pein. Deidara had been lucky in this case. If he weren't in cahoots with the organization, Itachi would have doubted he could have lasted any longer than the night. Amegakure was a rather closed off society after all. Itachi had long forced himself to become accustomed to knowing things the people here didn't, and would likely never know.

When Konan returned, Itachi followed her further into the corridor. The halls became strangely sparse without the medical staff or regular citizens wandering about. If anything, the place seemed eery, the occasional flickering catching his attention. Konan pulled the door open and held it for the Uchiha, ushering him inside. Itachi hesitantly entered, eyeing the still short figure within the room. Once the door sprang shut, a silence fell over the room. Itachi shifted the balls of his feet and made a few more paced strides. Sasori was quiet as usual, parked by the wall with Hiruko's eyes directed towards the double doors. He stood there for a moment, tuning into the faint sounds of murmuring on the other side.

He didn't want to make the puppeteer avoid him again. Konan had made sure to keep the other Akatsuki caged in the room for his arrival, but from the looks of it, he was on his own from here on. Itachi took a seat on the cushioned leather chair's lined up against the wall. He fixed his gaze on the clock and tried to put his words gently and carefully. "Sasori."

The name seemed to have no effect. Hiruko didn't budge an inch, though Itachi wouldn't have been surprised of the puppeteer had noticed but simply decided not to show it.

"Sasori, I know it's probably tiring to hear me say this but..." Itachi wearily cast his gaze over to his companion. "If we go out there, and find those things in the desert, we could avenge your partner. You could." Itachi waited, but no reply came. He turned his head towards the puppeteer and tried to inspect Hiruko's face, grasping at any straws that could indicate what emotion he was feeling. Whether or not the sand ninja had reacted at all.

Finally, Sasori spoke. It was a low grumbling tone, though unusually weak and hoarse. "I'm not interested in revenge."

"Maybe your partner would like that. He's seemed to be the type from my perspective." Itachi raised his tone slightly. He avoided uttering the blond's name, trying to emphasize the fact that he was no replacement for the bomber. "I heard that you two talked a few days ago from Zetsu. How did that go?"

"Terrible."

 _Progress._ He leaned forward and attempted to appear mildly interested. "Did he accept your apology?"

Hiruko suddenly shifted to the side and directed its dead stare at the Uchiha. Sasori seemed to be at the end of his rope with this conversation, eager to cut it off with a low growl. "What do you think?"

Itachi tried again. "I'm sorry."

There was no reply. He could only feel the deathly silence in the hall, Hiruko's eyes focused straight at the crack of the door. Machine buzzing through the wall and the occasional muffled voice in the other room only served as a low hum. Finally, the puppet shifted and pivoted on the floor, seemingly reacting to a clanging noise within the operation room. Sasori began to back up as a rolling sound emitted and louder voices were heard.

The door creaked open and out emerged a medical nin dressed in a white garb with everything but their head covered. Their eyes widened for a moment at the sight of the Akatsuki but the professional managed to return their composure. "Please wait in the lobby. We'll allow visitors to see him in an hour or so."

Itachi rose to his feet. "Of course." He gazed over towards the puppeteer who seemed to still have something on his mind.

Hiruko didn't budge from his spot, dead eyes still staring down the surgeon. "How did it go?"

The surgeon's expression was unseen behind his mask, though his eyes closed and his tilted his head slightly in an almost friendly manner. "It was a success, though there is good news and...bad news."

Hiruko didn't react to his last word. He stood for a moment, then turned around and slowly headed for the exit. Itachi pushed open door and let the other Akatsuki out, eyeing the red cloud decorated on the back of his cloak. "Sasori."

The puppet halted, then slowly turned with an icy glare. "What?"

* * *

"Pein." Konan turned the corner only to be faced directly with the god himself. She staggered back for a moment as the other rounded around her and began to walk down she had just came, eyes focused on the corridor. His footsteps were loud and clear, angered almost, concerned.

With little else to do, she turned and followed him, keeping up with his hurried pace. "Deidara's surgery was successful, though I should tell you the good and bad news."

"That's good, but that's not important now."

Konan blinked and noticed as they turned down the path to the outside of the tower. At the end of the hall was a doorway leading out into a gigantic hall covered in rusted pipes. The Akatsuki Leader didn't hesitate to hop down and turned immediately for the exit, the familiar sounds of machinery hisses and clangs as well as the sound of retreating pigeons echoed throughout the windy outlets. The two finally came upon an opening of sorts that gave a magnificent view of Amegakure, the sky shrouded in clouds as the heavy relentlessly poured. Pein stared at the border where the towers grew smaller and eventually made way for a desolate marsh. Not a single tree in sight, all but a few patches of grass and moss on the flatland that was the war-ridden area to the West.

"Pein?" Konan tried again as she approached. She sensed a tension about the ginger, he seemed unusually focused, vigilant. The wind flapped their cloaks and served to make the brisk even more intolerable.

"Something is coming." Pein narrowed his eyes and squinted along the border. "It's approaching quickly...one -no three!"

"Intruders?" Konan froze. "From which direction?"

Pein contemplated the question, then mumbled. "Southwest...fifty or so kilometers from the village."

"So close..." Konan turned sharply towards the horizon, eyes scanning the border.

"Forty kilometers...thirty..."

"What should I do?" She finally asked, a line forming on her cheek only to create a stack of paper that fell from her cheek and floated in the air. More sheets gathered at her feet, and soon enough, her own legs dispersed into a flurry of white paper.

"Go check it out."

* * *

"Leave me alone Tobi, un!"

The door creaked open as Itachi's poked in, viewing a rather pissed looking Deidara. The blond's expression went from sour to surprised but then returned to its sour state. His face scrunched up red in front of the Uchiha. "Oh, it's you, un."

"I'm not alone." Itachi informed him and moved into the room. Following in suite came Sasori, naked of Hiruko's armour. The puppeteer averted his eyes from his stunned partner, and kept his gaze to the floor as he sauntered over to the bed.

"What are _you_ doing showing up like this?" Deidara scowled, eye following the former sand ninja up until he was standing over him. "Hm? Talk!"

"You shouldn't be speaking in your state." Sasori murmured.

Itachi closed the door as quietly as he could manage. He observed the scene carefully. Deidara was obviously seething at the very sight of the puppeteer, a thing he wasn't so used to seeing. Sasori was almost solemn, or had a guilty air to himself. It was only now that he truly noticed the bags underneath his eyes, they seemed more pronounced than ever before. Itachi wasn't used to such a scene. Hatred was a normal thing between them, but never before had Deidara ever had such a fire in his eyes, nor did Sasori ever look like his world had just ended. Then again, he couldn't completely tell with the redhead, his expression barely changed with his moods, no matter how severe. Sasori's face of what could be seen as grief could mean something else entirely.

The Uchiha approached the bed but kept a distance. He didn't want to anger the blond, as he knew that his mere presence tended to be a reason to spark an insult out of him. "Why did you think Tobi was coming?"

Deidara kept his head laid on the pillow, only able to see the hairs on the top of Itachi's head. He couldn't move, and he was almost glad not to. His body felt numb, and he didn't feel like being faced with the raven's eyes at the moment. He took a breath and relaxed visibly. "I haven't seen him in a while. I expected Tobi to be the first one to visit me after I failed to die during the surgery, un."

 _Failed to die?_ Itachi blinked. He could tell by Sasori's expression that the statement had definitely struck a cord within him. It was so strange to see him like this. Not just in his true form, but _like this._

"...Not that I'm worried or anything," Deidara jutted out his lower lip and averted his eyes. "But have either of you seen him recently? It's been days, un."

Both Akatsuki exchanged glances. Itachi shrugged and moved a little closer to the bomber's chagrin. "I haven't."

"Me neither." Sasori said.

Deidara knit his eyebrows. "Eh? That's weird, un. He usually doesn't just disappear like that. What about Zetsu? Has he mentioned him at all?"

"Um, about Zetsu..." Itachi stuttered slightly and looked to the other ninja for some help. Immediately, he was met with a blank expression, expecting him to speak. "He...he went missing a few days ago."

"Zetsu now?" The blond repeated in more frantic tone. He began to shift his legs a little and switched focuses between the two. "Hold on, what's going on? What's been happening since I went absent- agh!" Deidara bit his lip and let his head fall onto the pillow, face twisting in pain. He'd moved too much.

"You idiot, quite moving." Sasori frowned, earning a surprised look from the younger. Deidara stared at him for a moment, a slight light in his eye showing.

"Yeah, I'll try not to, un." The patient raised a brow and tried to calm down. He wasn't sure which Sasori to associate this bit of dialogue with. The one he knew or this strange mushy one he had the displeasure of meeting.

"Leader told us during the meeting you missed this morning. He says not to worry for now, he'll deal with it."

Deidara stared at the ceiling and nodded. "Oh, is that so, un. Wait, why are you here then?" The blond's expression went sour again. "Don't tell me Sasori's softness is contagious."

Itachi shook his head. "No, I'm here because I have to pick up the mission you two failed to complete. I'm supposed to head off with Sasori as soon as possible."

"That's a load of bull!" Deidara snapped. "Just cause I got taken down the first time doesn't mean I'll lose again, un! Tell Leader I'm up for it! I don't need an Uchiha taking my place!"

"I'm not going with him." Sasori interjected. "Not on that mission until you're better."

The blond turned his head towards the puppeteer and stared at him squarely for a long minute. The bomber looked as if he'd been enraged and appalled at the same time, frustration seeping into his expression. A silence fell, leaving the only sound to be heard, the buzzing of the heater. Itachi passed his gaze between the two before the patient finally exploded.

" _What is_ _ **WRONG**_ _with you, un_?!"

Sasori took a cautious step away from the violently rocking bed. His eyes were wide with shock but slowly lidded as he got a safe distance away from his infuriated partner. Deidara seemed to wince occasionally with pain but ignored it, eyes trained on the redhead as if he had just committed an unforgivable crime. Itachi was also cautious to back up, just in case this got out of hand. If possible, even the heater in the room fell deathly quiet.

" _First_ you're acting all quiet and meek! _Second_ , you're gushing over my condition like it actually matters to you! _Third_ , you're running away from a mission! What the hell is wrong!? Are you SCARED? SCARED SASORI? HOLD ON, YOU'RE NOT EVEN SASORI ARE YOU? NOT THE ONE I KNEW! _IMPOSTER_! AT FIRST I THOUGHT YOU WERE JUST A LOUSY ARTIST, BUT NO, YOU'VE STEEPED EVEN LOWER, YOU'RE A _COWARD_ , UN! _**COWARD**_!"

The insult seemed to corner Sasori. When his back hit the wall, he seemed to jerk fearfully for a moment before realizing he had just pressed himself against the opposite end of the room. Deidara heaved angrily, recovering from the shout. Itachi spied some sweat drops on his temple and the slight twitch underneath his eye. The injured member had been ignoring the pain the entire time, and just made room to fully comprehend the damage he'd done to himself while reprimanding his partner.

Sasori's gaze fell to the floor and he looked much like a beaten puppy. Itachi passed his gaze between them again and wondered briefly if leaving would be for the best. Then again, would he even be able to convince Sasori to leave? If the puppeteer stayed, he couldn't guarantee Deidara wouldn't just spring out of bed with accusations of the other being an imposter. Itachi knew Sasori was no imposter, his sharingan confirmed it. He had also speculated the same over the past few days, but Itachi was a far better sensory type than Deidara was. The chakra was same, and he couldn't expect the blond to be able to sample it without his arms in functioning shape. If anything, in order to make sense of things in his isolated state, the blond was likely just conjuring up ideas in order to make up for the lack of evidence. Conclusions to put an explanation to the scene.

* * *

 _(Naruto Shippuden OST 1 Track 18 – Emergence of Talents)_

She glided over the border of the village, exiting the protective barrier that encased the entirety of Amegakure. Her paper wings spread out wide and caught the northern wind, using the up draft to carry her higher into the sky. Konan kept a vigilant look out onto horizon, a treeline could be seen off to the side where the Land of Rain ended and the Land of Fire began. Rain pelted the area, creating a marshy land with virtually no life other than the common frog, salamander, and small patches of moss. Konan swerved off the main path, a raised platform of crudely placed wooden bridges that stuttered with concrete road leading to the entrance of the village. Today, the path was deserted, not a single lonely soul in sight.

 _I should be approaching it now._

The wind shifted, causing Konan to dip the front of her wings and bring her closer down to the earth. Her gaze scanned the horizon once again, this time observing as some sort of mound popped up in the distance. She removed a bang from her face and squinted slightly in concern.

A single mound, growing large, quickly too. Konan halted in the air and spread her wings out wide, watching warily as whatever it was came closer. Mud was thrown into the air like nothing. Dirt, wood, mud, stone, no matter what, the thing's came closer, digging a deep groove into the earth as it ran.

 _It's coming directly for the village!_ Konan made a serious expression and made a sharp turn back the way she came. This wasn't good, these things were fast, and the way it travelled easily matched Deidara's description of the beast. Considering the damage it had dealt to the young bomber as well as its capacity to snap Hiruko, a puppet that could withstand boulders weighing in the hundreds, like a twig, Konan could only imagine the damage it could cause once it arrived. _I have to tell Nagato!_

"Konan!"

The angel blinked and spied out a figure in the distance. Ginger hair made him stand out against the marshy land like a sore thumb, drenched in the rain water. Pein stood tall and strong. He shouted, "I saw it for myself! I've come to deal with it!"

Konan furrowed her eyebrows in concern, a feeling of doubt welling up at those words. "Nagato! Are you sure?"

"It's Pein!" The Akatsuki leader spoke in a calmer tone, steely gaze giving her a sense of reassurance. He didn't even need to nod. "Pein to you."

She made a hopeful look, then closed her eyes in acceptance. Of course, how could she doubt him? Nagato will see to harder battles in the future. How could they go with their plan if she didn't trust him now? "I see..."

"Good," Konan smiled and passed right over the Akatsuki leader's head, a blast of wind following, tearing at Pein's robes and sending droplets every which way. The heavy gust subsided quickly, and the god of Amegakure stood and raised a hand to the horizon.

The single mound suddenly split into three, each one visible against the light streaming through the clouds at the edge of the country, a yellowish light silhouetting the creatures. The leader came closest while the other followed on its tail, swimming through the mud as if they had evolved to dwell in it. Pein narrowed his gaze. _Three?_

More seconds passed and the mounds almost seemed the size of small dogs. Pein stood without fear, eyeing the three with experience. He could hear now. Mud wasn't as dry as sand was, it was a far thicker and stickier substance than that which overlaid deserts. He could hear their strangled pants, frustrated growls to dig through the mud. This was not their environment, giving Pein the upper hand.

"Come."


End file.
